GPD Win Mini Review: Performance, Portability, and Price Tag

The GPD WIN Mini is creating quite a buzz as one of the most eagerly awaited handheld gaming PCs this year. In this review, we dive deep into a pre-mass production sample of this fascinating device. It’s important to note that this isn’t the ultimate verdict on the GPD WIN Mini, but rather, it serves as a comprehensive sneak peek into what this device brings to the table in terms of its capabilities and features.

Design

The GPD WIN Mini is sized at around 6.6 x 4.29 x 0.98 inches (16.8 x 10.9 x 2.5 cm) and weighs just 520g. This makes it compact and easy to carry, striking a good balance between being portable and offering an ergonomic design. Its clamshell design not only looks sleek with a rust-tint color but is also practical, constructed from durable Aluminum Alloy, ensuring both aesthetics and functionality.

Display

This device unfolds to show a screen that’s 7 inches across. The screen is made using LTPS (Low-Temperature Polysilicon) technology, a kind of advanced screen tech that’s known for good color and fast response times. The screen’s picture quality is really clear and sharp because it has a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels. That’s like what you see on a lot of good-quality TVs or computer monitors.

One of the cool features of this screen is that it can change how many times it refreshes the image per second. This is known as the refresh rate and is measured in Hertz (Hz). This device can switch between 60Hz and 120Hz. At 60Hz, it’s great for older games or apps that don’t need super smooth motion. But when you switch to 120Hz, everything looks extra smooth and fluid, which is perfect for newer, high-speed games.

The overall experience of playing games on this screen is really enjoyable. The colors look bright and lively, which makes everything from games to movies look great. The smooth motion at 120Hz also makes a big difference in fast-paced games, where every millisecond counts. It’s this combination of a clear, colorful display and the ability to switch between 60Hz and 120Hz that makes this device a good choice for all kinds of games, whether they’re old classics or the latest releases.

Hardware

The GPD WIN Mini comes in two versions: one runs on an AMD Ryzen 7 7840U processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, reaching speeds up to 5.1GHz, while the other is powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 7640U processor featuring 6 cores and 12 threads with speeds up to 4.9GHz. For graphics, it utilizes either the AMD Radeon 780M or 760M GPUs. The system boasts a substantial memory capacity, offering configurations with either 32GB or 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM. When it comes to storage, users have ample choices, with options to equip the GPD WIN Mini with up to a 2TB NVMe SSD.

Connectivity

It has a bunch of ways to hook up to networks and other devices. First off, it’s got Wi-Fi 6. This is a newer kind of Wi-Fi that’s faster and more reliable, especially when there are a lot of devices using the network. It’s great for online gaming or streaming videos without annoying lag or interruptions.

Next up, it has Bluetooth 5.2. This is the latest version of Bluetooth, which is a way to connect to things wirelessly. It’s better than older versions because it’s faster and can work over longer distances. You can use it to connect to wireless headphones, speakers, or game controllers.

Then there are the USB ports. The GPD WIN Mini has a USB4 port and a USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port. These are really fast ways to transfer data. USB4 is the newer one and it’s super quick, which is great for moving large files like videos or big game files in a short time. The USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C is also fast and it’s handy because the connector is reversible, so you don’t have to worry about plugging it in upside down.

One of the most interesting features is the Oculink port. This might not be something you see on a lot of devices. It’s special because it provides a direct PCIe Gen4 x 4 connection. This is a bit technical, but basically, it means it can move data fast – up to 63Gbps. That’s gigabits per second, and to put it simply, it’s super quick. This kind of speed is great for things that need a lot of data bandwidth, like high-end gaming or working with large amounts of data.

Lastly, there’s a micro SD slot. This is useful for when you need more storage. Micro SD cards are small memory cards that you can use to store extra games, photos, videos, or whatever else you need. It’s a simple way to add more space without having to mess around with the internal parts of the device.

Battery

The gadget comes equipped with a 44.24-watt-hour Lithium Polymer battery, providing about 3 hours of intense usage, 6-8 hours of moderate usage, and up to 14 hours for light usage, depending on how you use it.

Other Features

The gamepad comes with a keyboard that lights up, and it’s bigger than the one on the GPD WIN 4. It’s not too big, though – just the right size for quick button presses, not for typing a lot. The controls for gaming are easy to find, and you can also use the device for watching videos or listening to music with built-in speakers that have special sound effects.

If you want, you can get a GPD WIN Mini Grip to make it more comfortable to hold during long gaming sessions. But keep in mind, that this grip will make the device a bit thicker.

Performance

Alright, let’s break down how the GPD WIN Mini performed in our tests, keeping the language simple.

First off, we ran some standard benchmark tests on the GPD WIN Mini, which are ways to measure how well a computer performs. These tests are like exams for computers, and they help us compare one computer’s performance to another. We used a few well-known benchmarks, including 3DMark and Cinebench.

3DMark is a benchmark that tests how good a computer is at handling gaming graphics. It’s like putting the computer through a series of intense video game scenes and seeing how well it can draw them on the screen. The GPD WIN Mini did well on this test, showing that it can handle visually demanding games without too much trouble.

Cinebench is another test we used, and it’s a bit different. It’s more about seeing how well the computer can handle complex tasks, like rendering a high-quality image. This test is a good way to see how well the computer can manage heavy-duty work, not just games. Again, the GPD WIN Mini showed impressive results, indicating that it’s not just good for games but also more serious tasks.

We didn’t stop at just benchmark tests, though. We also tried out some popular games on it, specifically Forza Horizon 5 and Cyberpunk 2077. These games are pretty demanding in terms of graphics and overall performance. The GPD WIN Mini handled them surprisingly well. The gameplay was smooth, the graphics looked good, and we didn’t encounter any major issues. This is a big deal because it means that this device can handle some of the latest and most popular games out there.

Finally, we compared the GPD WIN Mini’s performance to that of its predecessor, the GPD WIN 4 2023 model. In most of the tests and games we tried, the Mini either matched or did better than the WIN 4. This is pretty impressive, considering that the WIN 4 is already a well-regarded device in its own right.

Verdict

The GPD WIN Mini is a cool, strong handheld gaming PC. It’s great because it’s small and easy to use, and it works well. They’ve made it better than the older versions by improving the screen and making it more comfortable to hold. Some people who tried early versions said it got too hot, but the makers, GPD, are fixing that problem for the final version that you can buy.

If you’re excited about this and can’t wait to get one, good news! You can pre-order the GPD WIN Mini for $999 on a website called Banggood. It’s an awesome little device that lets you play big games wherever you are. Remember to keep an eye out for more news about it, because it’s going to be fully available for everyone later this year. Don’t miss out on the updates!